posted at 11:01 am on April 24, 2014 by Guy Benson

Chris Christie’s poll numbers appear to have stabilized in New Jersey, and his standing in a hypothetical 2016 match-up with Hillary Clinton is inching back up. An exhaustive internal review — commissioned by the governor’s office and conducted by a team of six former federal prosecutors — exonerated Christie in the “Bridgegate” scandal, determining that the available evidence backs up Christie’s consistent timeline. With two concurrent independent investigations underway, the governor said he’s confident that the findings of the so-called ‘Mastro report’ will be affirmed in due time. At last word, the Democrat-led legislative inquiry hadn’t turned up anything that implicates Christie, despite a humiliating false start from the New York Times. If anyone had unearthed such proof in recent months, we’d have heard about it. Immediately. On MSNBC. When this whole kerfuffle first burst into the headlines, the Mayor of Hoboken fanned the flames with salacious allegations that the Christie administration had threatened to withhold Sandy relief aid from her hard-hit city unless she agreed to approve a construction project supported by the governor. If true, Dawn Zimmer’s claims of quid pro quo corruption would have spelled the end of Christie’s career. But they’re not.

Virtually every element of Zimmer’s tale has been discredited or called into question by empirical evidence, witnesses, and her own contradictions. I wrote a lengthy post for Townhall in late January, spelling out the myriad reasons why her accusations were not credible, not the least of which was the fact that the only corroborating proof she’s produced was an unverifiable, bizarre-looking entry in what she claimed to be a personal journal. If that wasn’t dodgy enough, it turned out that Zimmer had testified under oath in a contemporaneous and unrelated legal dispute that she didn’t keep a journal. (These diary discrepancies only scratch the surface of her credibility problems. Click through for a much more complete picture). One of the questions that’s dogged Zimmer since she came forward with her blockbuster charges is why she didn’t do anything at the time, when Christie was up for re-election. Indeed, she lavishly praised Christie in public — this, the man who was supposedly shaking her down in a truly vile act of political bullying. Zimmer has finally settled on an answer, which she says is backed up by — ta da! — another heretofore unreported, undated entry in the diary she doesn’t keep:

This week, Zimmer attempted to explain her reasoning in a letter to the Democratic leaders of the legislature. In what she says are previously unreported entries to her personal journal, Zimmer says she discussed coming forward with the city’s redevelopment attorney, but ultimately decided it was pointless … “Yes – this is illegal,” [she purports to have written at the time]. “I debated with Joe Marzati whether or not to go to US Attorney – we decided that Christie has friends throughout US Attorney’s office … [therefore] not much chance in getting help from them & it could create a nightmare for us. A little scary to realize that there’s nowhere to turn for help against this threat from Gov. Christie. My best defense is to stand up to the bully – my beloved Gov who wants to run for president.” The letter was addressed to Senate President Steve Sweeney and Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg in the upper chamber and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto and Assemblyman John Wisniewski in the lower house and contained photos of the handwritten journal entries. There is no date on the entries.

So Zimmer didn’t act sooner because she was terrified of the “nightmare” Christie’s US Attorney buddies might have unleashed. But she finally found her nerve…at the precise moment that other accusations began flying — and a week after she’d tried to sell a completely different version of events to a New Jersey reporter, who didn’t bite? Sounds legit. For what it’s worth, the Mastro report found zero merit in Zimmer’s story:

Our investigation found that Mayor Zimmer’s allegations are, in material respects, demonstrably false. They are contradicted by contemporaneous documents, other witnesses’ accounts, and her own prior statements. In sum, the subjective perceptions she may have do not match objective reality, as reflected in the hard evidence uncovered during our investigation.

Many New Jerseyans are understandably skeptical of a review that was ordered by its powerful potential target. Of course Christie’s investigation exonerated him, right? The attorney who spearheaded the probe has confronted those concerns by passionately defending its integrity:

“We’ve had no incentive, at our law firm, to do anything other than get to the truth. We will be judged, at the end of the day, by whether we got it right.”

More telling than Mastro’s word, in my view, is the reaction from the Democratic partisan leading his own inquiry into the scandal:

Also appearing on “This Week,” Democratic New Jersey state Assemblyman John Wisniewski, co-chair of the state investigation of the lane closures, said it is too early to draw conclusions about any possible involvement by Christie in the lane closings. “It’s far too early to start concluding that the governor knew nothing, had nothing to do with this,” the lawmaker said, after conceding that no evidence has been found thus far implicating the governor.

They’ve got nothing so far, and they’ve been at it for months. As I mentioned above, if New Jersey Democrats had found anything that could simultaneously ensnare Christie, and instantly discredit the Mastro team’s results, it would be front page news. And Christie would be finished.

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When Christie has accumulated a consistent track record, at least 5 years long, of defending and campaigning for conservatives, at least as credible as his support for Obama and RINOs, then I will consider defending him. If it’s in my best interest.

I like Guy’s writing in most respects, but it’s approaching laughable in his defense of Christie. The scandal does not die because of the exonerating report. It goes into hiatus for the dems to use later.

If Christie were actually a constitutional conservative instead of a McCain/Romney retread; Guy would be explaining at EVERY opportunity how “damaged” the candidate was. He would preach and tell all of the trucons to wake up and face reality; the scandal is simply too damaging.

When Christie has accumulated a consistent track record, at least 5 years long, of defending and campaigning for conservatives, at least as credible as his support for Obama and RINOs, then I will consider defending him. If it’s in my best interest.

Fenris on April 24, 2014 at 11:33 AM

You said it. The way he threw Steve Lonegan under the bus and failed to appoint a conservative to the Senate through 2014 is enough of a reason to stay home in 2016.

I am proud to say I never voted for the guy; voted for his opponents in the primaries, didn’t vote in 2009, and voted Libertarian in 2013.

Coincidentally, I have a journal entry from when I was in New Jersey. “Went to dinner with a new escort named Dawn. We talked politics. Said she was a BIG FAN of Gov. Christie. She blew my nose and then she blew my mind!“

Ya, I think voting libertarian may end up be the best option in the next several years. Even though I disagree with them on many things, if they start getting a significant percentage of votes it’ll say something. But I’m not holding my breath for that to happen.

Well, here’s another reasonable question: If it turns out that these and previous entries WERE false, can she be sued or reprimanded by the Legislature in Trenton? Or better yet (but less likely) a recall vote by Hoboken residents?

Not that I’m a fan of Christie: if he stands or falls it should for legit reasons, not JUST because it Political Theater.

kpguru, I explicitly said that this exonerating report will be tested by the others ongoing…though Dems are sheepishly admitting they’ve got nothing so far. The scandal’s not dead (I’ve never written that), but the Dems’ narrative is looking very shaky. I’ve covered this story from the beginning & this is a relevant update. Yes, it’s a defense of Christie, but it’s more an expose of the insane lengths to which the other side will go to try to take him down. I don’t think ANY potential GOP candidate should be counted out at this stage in the game. Hard to predict the political environment of late 2015/early 2016.

Ted, CC didn’t throw Lonegan under the bus. Just ask Steve. He’s been effusive in his gratitude for Christie’s support. But I’m glad you’re so proud of your effective vote for Corzine in 2009. True conservatism right there.

If he stands or falls it should for legit reasons, not JUST because it Political Theater.

This. I have no problem with conservative policy criticisms of Christie. I share a number of them. But conservatives shouldn’t take glee in a BS smear campaign from the other side, aimed at taking Christie down. Because if they can accuse and destroy with impunity, they can ruin anyone. It’s okay to defend Christie when he deserves it without endorsing the guy for POTUS.

Ted, CC didn’t throw Lonegan under the bus. Just ask Steve. He’s been effusive in his gratitude for Christie’s support. But I’m glad you’re so proud of your effective vote for Corzine in 2009. True conservatism right there.

Guy Benson on April 24, 2014 at 11:55 AM

Oh, so scheduling an election two weeks before his own in order to preserve his anticipated 20-30 point margin of victory wasn’t throwing Lonegan under the bus? You mean failing to campaign with Lonegan or make so much as one appearance with Lonegan wasn’t throwing the guy under the bus?

I got news for you. When the choice is between Jon Cor-slime and a guy who readily admitted he agrees with Andrew Cuomo on “98% of the issues,” you don’t have much of a choice. They both were garbage.

But hey, gotta vote for (and defend) any idiot with an R after his name, right? True conservatism!

This. I have no problem with conservative policy criticisms of Christie. I share a number of them. But conservatives shouldn’t take glee in a BS smear campaign from the other side, aimed at taking Christie down. Because if they can accuse and destroy with impunity, they can ruin anyone. It’s okay to defend Christie when he deserves it without endorsing the guy for POTUS.

Guy Benson on April 24, 2014 at 12:00 PM

When our elected Republicans decide they will not defend other Republicans because they disagree with them ideologically, then our party is over. There is no point to being in a political party if the guy says “oh, I can’t come to your political rally during the week because I have weekend plans with my wife”. I initially supported Christie, knowing that NJ is a left wing state, and you’re not going to elect hard core conservatives. But now he is dead to me.

It’s okay to defend Christie when he deserves it without endorsing the guy for POTUS.

Guy Benson on April 24, 2014 at 12:00 PM

Which is more than can be said about Christie after he endorsed Obama ahead of the 2012 election.

I get what you are saying about not letting these smears and outright lies stand but it really is hard for mustering much enthusiasm for defending the guy who gushed over the rat-eared wonder just days before the general election. It is the last minute bit of disloyalty to the GOP which is why I can’t much care if NJ takes down an angry bully Republican

This. I have no problem with conservative policy criticisms of Christie. I share a number of them. But conservatives shouldn’t take glee in a BS smear campaign from the other side, aimed at taking Christie down. Because if they can accuse and destroy with impunity, they can ruin anyone. It’s okay to defend Christie when he deserves it without endorsing the guy for POTUS.

No it hasn’t Guy. Unlike the Daily Caller, Hot Air doesn’t censor and block to protect very weakly built narratives as this.

People that know Mayor Zimmer know how she has battled corruption tooth and nail in Hoboken. You think this helps Gov. Christie but it doesn’t. The reality is there is an investigation going on right now into both the GW controversy and the Sandy aid application to Hoboken with several allegations involving people in the Christie Administration tying it to a one billion dollar development project in northern Hoboken.

Your January story at Townhall was equally bad in that you refer to a lunatic attorney who has filed a civil lawsuit against the mayor for “Ethnic Cleansing.” It was thrown out of court. You failed to list that impressive credential.

Now you ignore that the Hoboken mayor spoke to an attorney at the time of the incident with Lt. Gov. Kim Guardagno. Changes a lot that only her “personal journal knew” narrative.

Not happy about this as a two time Gov. Chris Christie voter. This is upsetting to NJ residents.

And Christie has affirmed several times that he doesn’t agree with Cuomo on 98% of issues, a quote attributed to him by a union official.

Nomad, Christie didn’t endorse Obama. C’mon.

Zenyatta, read more carefully. I’ve mentioned the ongoing investigations repeatedly. Feel free to ignore the “lunatic attorney” all you want. Zimmer’s on-the-record statements in a sworn deposition are all on the record. And I haven’t “ignored” the claim that she told someone at the time. Most importantly, the “harm” Zimmer claimed (withheld funds) didn’t happen! But besides all that, great points.

The disgustingly hypocritical corruption of Dems is delusional, incapable of handling the truth, unsurprising for a lawless, fascist gang of racist baby butchering (see http://www.blackgenocide.org), still the party of slavery after more than a century, now offing their slaves’ unborn in ways even much of the South would have abhorred. Ironic the once proud abolitionist NE is now staunchly and vehemently abortionist and the once proud pro-slavery South is now staunchly and vehemently pro-life. Be careful when you are judgmental for God will expose and shame you for being gullible enough to dare to take His place.

It’s not about an ongoing investigation – it’s about a federal investigation by the US Attorney’s Office which clearly differs with your speculative conclusions. You have no idea why they continue to investigate and issued a subpoena to a land use attorney the mayor spoke to last year after the Lt. Governor’s visit.

You clearly have not an inkling about the “lunatic attorney” who you wish to give great credibility. Do a search on Hoboken ethnic cleansing to learn more about the vermin in Hudson County. Until you educate yourself, you are just ignoring obvious and dare I say GLARING facts.

After you read those googled stories you at least will have an idea on how badly you tripped in going down that path.

The mayor’s remarks in that deposition don’t bear on the basic contention. It was a bad equation made by the “ethnic cleansing” attorney and you bit on it. Sorry but it’s an absurdity all around to equate a personal journal to a daily business journal the mayor did NOT maintain.

As for the harm to Hoboken, that too is equally matter of record. Hoboken did NOT receive its fair share of funds and certainly not like Belleville and other NJ municipalities who saw millions arrive or other non-damaged towns who received equal if not more funds after Hurricane Sandy. This is incontestable now and the State is backtracking saying it will be “corrected” on the next round of funding. No doubt they will live up to it.

Your condescending conclusions are contrary to reality. No doubt you deem yourself aiming for a high trajectory in the Rockefeller party establishment – pardon the pun. Hoboken won’t sign on to the one billion dollar “Rockefeller” Group project. That’s over.

The reality on the ground in NJ, we’re Republicans too – who thought the Governor was heading to great things. No one is more disappointed than we are and it was Gov. Christie and Mayor Zimmer who made a great team bucking the Soprano State starting back in 2009.

Frankly, it stinks to have seen this all transpire. We’re beyond disappointed even knowing there are national Republicans who weren’t too enamored with Gov. Christie. He did so many things right but this is beyond problematic. Using emergency funding from the federal government to leverage a development project is plain unacceptable.

There’s no basis to believe the Hoboken mayor is the one who is being untruthful. Watch that tortured Lt. Gov. video. It really does reveal some of the truth too. She looked on par with an Al Qaeda hostage video and sounded worse than a sixth grade kid in an acting debut. She’s another huge disappointment. Pure Amateur Hour.

It’s not getting better either even if the US Attorney’s Office comes to a dead end. The Governor’s internal report with incomplete testimony from key parties hasn’t fooled anyone here in NJ, your alternative contention notwithstanding.